Kitchen Magic
by Tanista2
Summary: MacGyver comes to the rescue for Becky's eighth birthday. (Domestic Adventures 'verse)


_Author's Note: February 22 is my birthday and- no coincidence, really- that of my OC, so I thought I'd post this fun little AU story beforehand. I hope you enjoy! See the end of the story for a second note.  
_

* * *

-February, 1980-

"So what on earth are you doing here in Oregon, Angus?"

MacGyver winced and looked away from the woman sitting across from him at the kitchen table, turning to gaze out the window at the rain-wet backyard. "Aw c'mon Allie, you _know_ how much I hate that name. Can't you just call me what everyone else does?"

Allison Grahme frowned at her younger brother. "You're avoiding the subject, _Mac_. You've been out of touch for a long time. Yesterday without warning you just showed up here with no explanation. Where have you been?"

"Here and there. Travellin'. You know." He shrugged. "Tryin' to figure out what to do with my college degree."

"Bachelor of Science, _summa cum laude_." Allison nodded. "Not bad for my baby brother. I bet a lot of engineering firms and research labs are going to be interested in you. You planning on going for a Ph.D.?"

Mac shook his head firmly. "Nah. I don't wanna mess around anymore with that stuff. I mean, I really like doin' the research and experiments- you know, the real hands-on work- but not the mountain of paperwork that goes with them. Or the politics." He smiled ruefully. "Dr. Rhyman was sure disappointed when I turned down that fellowship offer. But academia's just not for me, you know?"

Allison merely smiled in reply. She indeed knew her brother well- never wanting to sit still in one place for very long, always wanting to charge ahead, doing something without really thinking of the consequences beforehand. So unlike her own quiet, measured approach to life- her pursuit of a Ph.D. in Psychology at Willamette University, her home life here in Salem with Michael and the kids. Briefly she wondered what it would take for Mac to settle down in one place for a while with a stable job. It would have to be something that made good use of her brother's unique talents, ensuring he'd never have a dull moment...

They heard the back door open. "Mom! We're home!" a boy's voice yelled out. "It rained on the way back from school. We're soaked."

Allison rose from her chair. "Well for goodness' sakes, don't just stand there dripping on the carpet in front of the door. Come to the kitchen."

Presently two kids entered the kitchen, their coats, umbrellas and schoolbags dripping water. The twelve-year-old boy's hazel eyes lit up. "Hi, Uncle Mac."

"Hey, kids." He smiled at his nephew and niece. "How was school today?"

"It was fine for me, but Becky got teased again," indicating the seven-year-old girl behind him. She wiped her nose and stared down at the floor, face wet with more than just raindrops. "Now she doesn't think anyone's gonna come to her birthday party tomorrow." He grimaced. "What a crybaby."

"Chris, that's a terrible thing to say about your sister. You apologize to her right now," their mother admonished as she approached them.

Chris turned to Becky. "Sorry, squirt."

"It's okay," she muttered, still staring down at the floor.

"That's better," Allison said, taking their wet things and hanging them up. "Now go upstairs to your room, Chris. You left your bed unmade again, and your room's a mess. You can come back down to have a snack as soon as you put everything away."

"But, Mom-" he whined.

"No buts, young man. Go upstairs. Now." Her son pouted but eventually complied, leaving the adults alone with the sad little girl.

MacGyver came over to her, crouching down to her eye level. He reached out and gently lifted her chin. "Hey princess," he said softly. "So what's with the waterworks, huh? Someone makin' fun of you at school?"

She nodded, sniffling as she spoke, "No one's gonna come to my birthday party tomorrow. Least I don't think so. Nobody told me they would, anyway."

"Now I don't believe that for a second, Becky. You've got some friends at school, right? 'Course they'll come. Your folks'll be here, and Chris. Me, too. We'll have fun. Trust me." He pulled out a handkerchief, carefully wiping her face as he spoke.

She blinked up at him. "You'll be at my party, Uncle Mac?"

"You bet. Wouldn't miss your special day for the world. No more tears now, okay? C'mere." He opened his arms, scooping her up into them; she looped her arms around his neck, giggling as their foreheads touched. "Yeah, there's my birthday girl."

Allison smiled at the pair. "All right, you two. I think you'd better continue this in the family room. When Chris comes back downstairs I'll bring out some milk and cookies, so we can have our snack while we watch TV." She watched them leave the kitchen, her taller brother still carrying the little girl, whispering into her ear, making her laugh. Mac was so good with the kids, especially Becky; his sister wondered when he'd ever settle down to have some of his own. She wouldn't mind being an aunt herself, someday.

* * *

The next day, February 22nd, was just as wet as the days preceeding it. "More rain," Michael sighed, looking out the window. "That's too bad. We were looking forward to having the party outside in the backyard. Unfortunately, it does tend to be the norm this time of the year. Still, it's a good thing we live here in the Pacific Northwest, isn't it?" He smiled ruefully at his wife as she poured him a second cup of coffee. "Give me rain and these moderate temps instead of snow, ice and below freezing anytime."

Allison smiled. "That's why I wanted to attend university out here. Honestly, I couldn't stand another Minnesota winter."

"That's only because you didn't know how to enjoy it," MacGyver chided her gently. "Ice fishing, hockey, skiing- all great things to do in winter. It was my favorite season, growin' up." His sister made a face at him and he laughed.

The phone rang. Allison walked across the kitchen to pick it up, leaving the men to continue eating their breakfast. "So where are you off to next, Mac?" Michael asked his brother-in-law.

"I thought I'd stick around for a couple more days, then head down to L.A. Friend of mine got into an accident, wound up in the hospital with a broken leg. He wants me to drive his cab for him while he's recovering. Then there's this oil rig, they need some volunteer firefighters standin' by in case the wells catch fire... What's wrong, Allie?" noting her worried expression.

"That was the magician we hired to perform at the party. His basement's flooded. Since all his equipment is now ruined, he had to cancel." She frowned. "I don't know what to do. Becky was really looking forward to seeing some magic today. I guess I'll have to break it to her when she comes down for breakfast. You know how much she loves celebrating her birthday. She'll be so disappointed-"

"Wait a minute," Mac interrupted. "You said Becky wanted to see some magic?"

"Yeah, that's why we hired the magician. He's supposed to be really good, too. But now what do we do, with the party this afternoon? We can't hire anyone else this late."

"Magic tricks, hmm," Mac said speculatively. Allison turned to look at her younger brother; his eyes had a look to them that she knew usually meant he was thinking up something ingenious. "Guys, I think I can help you out with this. I just need access to several things here in the kitchen, plus a couple other props."

"What are you planning on doing, Mac?"

He smiled. "Giving my niece what she wants for her birthday, of course. A magic show."

* * *

Despite the soggy weather the birthday party seemed to be going well, at least to Allison's mind. At least five of Becky's classmates actually showed up, along with a couple parents as chaperones. She chatted with them as the kids laughed and played games, grateful that there were no major incidents yet. Occasionally she'd look over at Michael, who was standing guard at the door between the kitchen and the dining room; he was stationed there to prevent any curious kids- including his daughter- from investigating the mysterious noises emanating from the closed room.

Finally she looked over at her husband and tapped her watch; he nodded and stuck his head into the kitchen, then returned and gave her a thumbs-up. "Okay everyone," she announced. "Let's all head over to the dining room. We have something very special for Becky." Parents and children followed her until they stopped in front of the door to the kitchen.

Suddenly it swung open with a dramatic flourish and a puff of smoke. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" Michael announced. "Presenting the mystical, miraculous, marvelous, mind-blowing... MacGyver the Magnificent!"

Chris played a "ta-daah" on his Boy Scout trumpet. Allison stifled a laugh as her brother stepped through, wearing black shirt, pants and cape. He also sported a magic wand and top hat. Mac grinned, winking at his completely surprised niece first, then his sister.

"Hi folks," he declared, taking off the top hat and bowing, "I'm here today on this very special occasion to demonstrate some feats of real magic. It's not the parlor tricks or stage illusions we usually think of as magic, but instead what we see happening all around us, every day. This kind of magic involves using the forces and phenomena we call science, especially chemistry and physics, and it's somethin' you can easily do yourselves at home. Through this door are feats that are guaranteed to amaze you. And unlike other magicians," he winked again, "I'll tell you all my secrets as we go."

Mac led everyone into the kitchen, where he had them stand around the table with the children in front. "You've all heard of the phrase 'money to burn,' right? For my first trick I'm gonna show you how you can make that happen without it actually gettin' burnt. Can I borrow a dollar bill from someone in the audience? I promise I'll give it back fully intact, or else give a full refund." The adults chuckled.

He produced a bowl of clear liquid. "This is a solution of half isopropyl alcohol and half water, with a pinch of regular salt added. I just need to soak this in here for a while," dropping the money into the liquid.

"Now while it's absorbing the liquid I'll tell you what's goin' on. There's a reaction that occurs between alcohol and oxygen, producing heat and light- that's energy- and carbon dioxide and water. It's called combustion. The bills are made of a material that's more like fabric than paper, which is nice if you've ever accidentally left one in the laundry. When it's soaked in an alcohol-water solution like this, the alcohol has a high vapor pressure and settles mainly on the outside. When the bill's lit, the alcohol is what actually burns, kinda like when a chef at a fancy restaurant lights up food in a pan."

"What's the salt for?" asked Becky. Allison noticed how she gazed up at her uncle, clearly enthralled, and smiled.

MacGyver beamed down at her. "I'm glad you asked that. When alcohol burns, it's usually invisible. Salt helps make the flame visible. There are other dry chemicals you can use too, to turn the flame other colors. It's pretty cool."

He looked down at the bill. "Okay, looks like the bill's ready to go." He fished it out of the bowl with a pair of tongs. "We're just gonna let it drip a bit first. Now water itself has a high specific heat, but the temperature at which the alcohol burns is a bit lower. So the alcohol will evaporate, but the money will still remain wet and won't be able to catch fire on its own."

He moved the tongs away from the bowl. "Hey Mike, would you please light a match for me and touch it to this?" To his audience's amazement, the money actually did look like it was on fire. After the alcohol burned off the flame went out, leaving a slightly damp- but still fully intact- dollar bill. Everyone applauded as he handed it back to the grinning parent.

Over the next two hours MacGyver performed more amazing feats of science, all using items found in the kitchen or around the house. He made a hard-boiled egg fit into a glass juice bottle (changing the temperature inside the bottle affected the air pressure), created 'hot ice' (actually sodium acetate) with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar, made a stream of water in the sink bend using static electricity (demonstrating the same effect again afterwards by rubbing a kid's hair with a party balloon to make it stand up, making everyone laugh) and many other "magic" tricks.

"You should become a teacher, Mac," Allison remarked after he made a color wheel on a dinner plate using two-percent milk, food coloring, dishwashing liquid and a cotton swab. "You're so good at explaining things. Learning about science is fun with you around."

He shrugged. "Maybe. The kids seem to be enjoyin' it, at least. You got everything ready? I think it's time for the grand finale."

She nodded, and he turned back to the crowd. "Folks, for my last trick I need some help. Becky, can you join me over here?" Eyes wide, the young girl complied. He helped her onto a chair, then held a blanket between her and the audience. "Now close your eyes and repeat this magic word after me: Hexadecacarbonylhexarhodium!"

It took several tries- and a lot of giggling- before she was able to pronounce the long chemical name correctly. When she finally succeeded MacGyver pulled the blanket away with a flourish, revealing a decorated chocolate cake on the table, the candles already lit. "For the birthday girl," he said, kissing her cheek as everybody sang. "Make a wish and blow out the candles, princess."

* * *

Once the other parents and children had finally left, the family had dinner together then sat for a while in the family room. Allison found herself more interested in her brother's interactions with Becky and Chris on the couch than what was on TV.

"It's surprising the way Mac and Becky have bonded over the years," Michael observed. "You'd think he'd be closer to Chris since he's more into sports and camping than she is."

"Not so surprising to me," she replied. "She loves to read and she's curious about the world. Very creative too, with a good imagination. Mac's the same way. She thinks of him as her best friend."

"Hey, Allie?" MacGyver called out. "I don't want to name names, but I think a certain birthday girl," grinning down at his niece who was snuggled up against him, "is ready for bedtime."

"Am not," she sleepily replied.

Allison laughed softly; since the party Becky had been visibly alternating between residual excitement and exhaustion from the day's events. "I agree. C'mon you two, time to get ready for bed. Mac, come give me a hand."

They herded the children upstairs, making sure they performed all the usual pre-bedtime activities. On her way back from Chris' room she paused by Becky's open door, silently watching her brother and daughter sitting up in bed against her pillows. They took turns reading from one of her favorite storybooks; Allison smiled at how well his soft Midwestern accent and her sweet Northwestern one blended together.

"So did you have a good birthday, Beck?" he asked her, finally setting the book aside and helping her remove her glasses.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Best ever, Uncle Mac. Thanks for the magic show. I love you," she added, throwing her small arms around him.

"You're welcome, princess. My pleasure. I love you too." He returned the hug, kissing the top of Becky's head. "See you in the morning." He tucked her under the sheets, kissed her on the cheek, then rose from the bed.

"She adores you, Mac," Allison murmured softly as they watched her from the doorway.

"I'm pretty crazy about her, too," he admitted just as quietly. "I'd do anything for Becky or Chris. You know that, Allison."

 _Including taking care of them, if anything should happen to me or Michael?_ she silently wondered. "Come with me downstairs, Angus. You can tell us everything you've been up to lately. I want to hear all your latest adventures." MacGyver rolled his eyes at her use of his first name but quietly closed the bedroom door and followed his older sister, leaving the little girl to finish the last hours of her birthday in peaceful sleep.

-The End-

 _Author's Second Note: The science experiments MacGyver performs, including the burning dollar trick, are real! See the how-to through your preferred search engine, or e-mail privately for the link._


End file.
